Air Exchange Device Capable of Adjusting Temperature Difference

ABSTRACT

An air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference includes: a housing, a partition, a fan, a control module and a temperature difference adjusting module. The partition is mounted in the housing and divides a room inside the housing into a first air-guiding space and a second air-guiding space. The fan is mounted in the housing. The control module electrically connects with the fan. The temperature difference adjusting module includes a temperature regulator electrically connected to the control module. With the temperature difference adjusting module, an internal space is maintained as an environment with comfortable temperature in the air exchange process.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application claims the benefit of Taiwan application serial No. 103132655, filed Sep. 22, 2014, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an air exchange device capable of adjusting a temperature difference between an indoor temperature and an outdoor temperature and, more particularly, to an air exchange device capable of measuring the indoor/outdoor temperatures and adjusting the temperature of airflow about to be guided into a room.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional ventilator 8 mounted in the ceiling of a building is shown. The ventilator 8 includes a frame 81 receiving a motor 82 and a heater 83. The motor 82 is used to drive an impeller 821 to rotate. Therefore, when the ventilator 8 is installed in the room, air in the room is drawn into the ventilator 8 via an air inlet (not labeled), and is then discharged back to the room via an air outlet 84. Due to the heating function of the heater 83, the air discharged back into the room can be heated to provide warming air for the room. An example of such a conventional ventilator 8 is disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. 1400413.

The ventilator 8 also provides an air-discharging function which discharges the indoor air to the outside, in addition to the aforementioned warming function. However, the ventilator 8 is not able to perform both functions at the same time. Although there exists another conventional ventilator used for air discharging purposes, both the ventilators require a couple of through holes to be arranged on the ceiling for installation of said ventilators. Disadvantageously, inconvenient installation is resulted, and the view of decoration in the internal space may be affected due to the arrangements of multiple ventilators. Besides, since both the ventilators provide a single function only (i.e. either warming function or air discharging function). If both functions (the warming function and the air discharging function) are required in an internal space, the user has to purchase both the ventilators. Thus, cost is increased.

Referring to FIG. 2, a conventional air exchange device 9 with both features, the warming process and the air discharging process, is shown. The air exchange device 9 includes a housing 91 with an air outlet 911, an air drawing opening 912, an air inlet 913 and an air discharging opening 914. A first fan 92 and a second fan 93 are mounted inside the housing 91, with the first fan 92 drawing air from an external space via the air inlet 913 and guiding the air into an internal space via the air outlet 911, and with the second fan 93 drawing air from the internal space via the air drawing opening 912 and guiding the air into the external space via the air discharging opening 914. Accordingly, the air exchange device 9 can be functioned for air exchange purposes.

Nevertheless, the air exchange device 9 is only functioned for air exchange purposes. Normally, the temperature of the external space is different from the temperature of the internal space. If the temperature of the external space is higher than the temperature of the internal space, when air in the external space is drawn into the internal space, the temperature of the internal space will increase, resulting in hot and stuffy situation during summer. On the other hand, if the temperature of the external space is lower than the temperature of the internal space, when air in the external space is drawn into the internal space, the temperature of the internal space will decrease, resulting in coldness during winter. In other words, the air exchange device 9 is unable to adjust a temperature difference between an indoor temperature and an outdoor temperature. Therefore, the air exchange device 9 will cause temperature change in the internal space in the air exchange process, and thus it is difficult to maintain the internal space as an environment with comfortable temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the following contents, a “divider” is a structure adapted to separate an external space and an internal space. For example, when a housing of an electronic product serves as the divider, the external space is the space outside the housing, and the internal space is the space inside the housing. As another example, when a wall of a building serves as the divider, the external space is the space outside the building, and the internal space is the space inside the building. Furthermore, in the following contents, a “control module” is a module including electronic elements, such as a driving circuit, a control circuit, or a user interface, which is capable of fan driving and control, for controlling the operation of a disclosed air exchange device. Besides, according to the user's need, the control module can also include various electronic members with the functions of lighting, alarming, or air-purifying, such as a light emitter, a buzzer, and a negative air ions generator.

What is needed is an air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference used to maintain an internal space as an environment with comfortable temperature in the air exchange process.

In one implementation, an air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference includes: a housing, a partition, a fan, a control module and a temperature difference adjusting module. The housing has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, with the first end having a first inlet and a first outlet, and with the second end having a second inlet and a second outlet. The partition is mounted inside the housing and divides a room inside the housing into a first air-guiding space and a second air-guiding space, with the first air-guiding space communicating with the first inlet and the second outlet, and with the second air-guiding space communicating with the first outlet and the second inlet. The fan is mounted inside the housing. The control module electrically connects with the fan. The temperature difference adjusting module includes a temperature regulator electrically connected to the control module.

In this implementation, one or more of the following features may be included: the temperature difference adjusting module includes a thermometer electrically connected to the control module; the thermometer is coupled to the first end of the housing; the thermometer is arranged in the first air-guiding space, and wherein the thermometer is located between the first end of the housing and the temperature regulator; the temperature regulator is coupled to the second end of the housing; the temperature regulator is arranged in the first air-guiding space; the partition includes a first section, a second section and an inclined connecting section linking the first section and the second section; the partition is in the form of a flat plate; and another fan is mounted in the housing, and wherein the two fans are arranged in the first air-guiding space and the second air-guiding space, respectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinafter and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, including:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional ventilator.

FIG. 2 is perspective view of another conventional air exchange device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference according to a last embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the various figures of the drawings, the same numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the term “first,” “second,” “inner,” “external,” “internal,” “downwards,” and similar terms are used hereinafter, it should be understood that these terms refer only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings, and are utilized only to facilitate describing the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 3, the air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference of the preferred embodiment of this disclosure is mounted on a divider “D,” with a first side of the divider “D” exposing to an external space “S1” and a second side of the divider “D,” opposite to the first side and exposing to an internal space “S2.” The divider “D” has a through hole “D1” extending from the first side to the second side. This air exchange device includes a housing 1, a partition 2, a fan 3, a control module 4 and a temperature difference adjusting module 5. The housing 1 is arranged in and extending through the through hole “D1.” The partition 2 and the fan 3 are mounted in the housing 1. The control module 4 electrically connects with the fan 3, and the temperature difference adjusting module 5 electrically connects with the control module 4.

The housing 1 can be a tube with any kind of sectional shape which is not limited. The housing 1 has a first end 11 and a second end 12 opposite to the first end 11. The first end 11 is located in the external space “S1”, and the second end 12 is located in the internal space “S2.” For the purposes of guiding air into or out of the housing 1, the first end 11 has a first inlet 111 and a first outlet 112, and the second end 12 has a second inlet 121 and a second outlet 122.

The partition 2 mounted in the housing 1 can be integrally formed within the housing 1 or detachably connected with the housing 1. Specifically, the partition 2 divides the room inside the housing 1 into two independent spaces: a first air-guiding space 21 and a second air-guiding space 22. The first air-guiding space 21 communicates with the first inlet 111 and the second outlet 122. The second air-guiding space 22 communicates with the first outlet 112 and the second inlet 121. The partition 2 can be any kind of configuration design which divides the room of the housing 1 into the first air-guiding space 21 and the second air-guiding space 22. For example, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the partition 2 is in the form of a flat plate. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the partition 2 includes a first section 2 a, a second section 2 b, and an inclined connecting section 2 c linking the first and second sections 2 a, 2 b. With the inclined connecting section 2 c, airflow can be smoothly guided from the first section 2 a to the second section 2 b.

The fan 3 mounted in the housing 1 is adapted to generate airflow. The position of the fan 3 is not limited as long as the airflow generated by the fan 3 can finally enter or exit the housing 1. For example, the fan 3 can be arranged in the first air-guiding space 21 or the second air-guiding space 22; specifically, the fan 3 can be arranged at the first inlet 111, the first outlet 112, the second inlet 121 or the second outlet 122. Therefore, it is not necessary to largely increase the size of the housing 1 for containing the fan 3. Alternatively, there can also be another fan 3 mounted in the housing 1 as shown in FIG. 3, and the two fans 3 are arranged in the first and second air-guiding spaces 21, 22, respectively, so as to improve the air-driving efficiency. The fan 3 has a structure designed to be driven by a motor, such as an axial fan, a centrifugal fan, a blower, or a crossflow fan.

The control module 4 electrically connects with and operates the fan 3.

The temperature difference adjusting module 5 includes a temperature regulator 51 electrically connected to the control module 4. The temperature regulator 51 can be a heater such as a heating pad or a heating lamp. On the other hand, the temperature regulator 51 can be a cooler such as a thermoelectric cooling chip. The arrangement of the temperature regulator 51 is made on the principle that the temperature regulator 51 can heat or cool the airflow guided from the external space “S1” into the housing 1 or the airflow already guided into the internal space “S2.” By such an arrangement, the temperature regulator 51 is able to prevent a large temperature difference between the airflow guided into the internal space “S2” and the air inside the internal space “S2.” Besides, as shown in FIG. 4, the temperature difference adjusting module 5 can further include a thermometer 52 electrically connected to the control module 4. The thermometer 52 is used to measure the temperature of the airflow guided from the external space “S1” into the housing 1, so that the temperature regulator 51 can heat or cool the airflow according to the measured result of the thermometer 52, thereby enhancing the temperature regulation accuracy of the temperature regulator 51.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the temperature regulator 51 is arranged in the first air-guiding space 21, and thus the temperature regulator 51 can heat or cool the airflow guided from the external space “S1” into the housing 1.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, when the temperature difference adjusting module 5 further includes the thermometer 52, the thermometer 52 can be arranged in the first air-guiding space 21, and the thermometer 52 is located between the first end 11 of the housing 1 and the temperature regulator 51. By such an arrangement, since the airflow guided from the external space “S1” into the housing 1 with sequentially pass through the first end 11, the thermometer 52 and the temperature regulator 51, the thermometer 52 can measure the temperature of the airflow guided from the external space “S1” into the housing 1 in advance. In other words, the thermometer 52 is able to measure the temperature of the airflow before the temperature regulator 51 heats or cools it.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the temperature regulator 51 is coupled to the second end 12 of the housing 1, and thus the temperature regulator 51 located in the internal space “S2” can heat or cool the airflow already guided into the internal space “S2.”

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, when the temperature difference adjusting module 5 further includes the thermometer 52, the thermometer 52 can also be coupled to the first end 11 of the housing 1, and thus the thermometer 52 located in the external space “S1” can be used to measure the temperature of the air in the external space “S1” in advance.

In use of the disclosed air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference, only one hole, that is, the through hole “D1” in the divider “D” is necessary. With the housing 1 arranged in and extending through the through hole “D1,” the airflow from the external space “S1” passes through the first inlet 111, the first air-guiding space 21, and the second outlet 122, so as to enter the internal space “S2.” On the other hand, a reverse airflow from the internal space “S2” passes through the second inlet 121, the second air-guiding space 22, and the first outlet 112 sequentially, so as to be expelled to the external space “S1.” In this way, the disclosed air exchange device can be functioned for air exchange.

Furthermore, in the air exchange process as mentioned above, the disclosed air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference can measure the temperature of the airflow guided from the external space “S1” into the housing 1 by the thermometer 52 of the temperature difference adjusting module 5, and the measured result of the thermometer 52 is transmitted to the control module 4. In the meanwhile, the control module 4 can control the temperature regulator 51 according to the measured result, and the temperature regulator 51 can heat or cool the airflow guided from the external space “S1” into the housing 1 or the airflow already guided into the internal space “S2.” As a result, the internal space “S2” is maintained in a comfortable temperature when the air in the external space “S1” is guided into the internal space “S2.” For example, if the temperature of the external space “S1” is higher than the temperature of the internal space “S2”, the temperature regulator 51 can cool the airflow about to be guided into the internal space “S2” in order to prevent a large temperature difference between the airflow guided into the internal space “S2” and the air inside the internal space “S2”, so that the temperature of the air inside the internal space “S2” will not significantly increase. On the contrary, if the temperature of the external space “S1” is lower than the temperature of the internal space “S2”, the temperature regulator 51 can heat the airflow about to be guided into the internal space “S2” in order to prevent a large temperature difference between the airflow guided into the internal space “S2” and the air inside the internal space “S2”, so that the temperature of the air inside the internal space “S2” will not significantly decrease.

In sum, with the temperature difference adjusting module 5 of the above illustrated air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference, an internal space is maintained as an environment with comfortable temperature in the air exchange process.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to its presently preferable embodiments, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference, comprising: an housing having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, with the first end having a first inlet and a first outlet, and with the second end having a second inlet and a second outlet; a partition mounted in the housing and dividing a room inside the housing into a first air-guiding space and a second air-guiding space, with the first air-guiding space communicating with the first inlet and the second outlet, and with the second air-guiding space communicating with the first outlet and the second inlet; a fan mounted in the housing; a control module electrically connecting with the fan; and a temperature difference adjusting module including a temperature regulator electrically connected to the control module.
 2. The air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature difference adjusting module includes a thermometer electrically connected to the control module.
 3. The air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference as claimed in claim 2, wherein the thermometer is coupled to the first end of the housing.
 4. The air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference as claimed in claim 2, wherein the thermometer is arranged in the first air-guiding space, and wherein the thermometer is located between the first end of the housing and the temperature regulator.
 5. The air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature regulator is coupled to the second end of the housing.
 6. The air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature regulator is arranged in the first air-guiding space.
 7. The air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition includes a first section, a second section and an inclined connecting section linking the first section and the second section.
 8. The air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition is in a form of a flat plate.
 9. The air exchange device capable of adjusting temperature difference as claimed in claim 1, further comprising another fan mounted in the housing, wherein the two fans are arranged in the first air-guiding space and the second air-guiding space, respectively. 